Front Runner

22,690 AD

Near the Galactic Center

After the entire crew was awakened, the once silent halls of Invictus now hummed with life, though it was a life filled with uncertainty and fear. Rosco made his way through the ship, his mind racing, searching for Amadeus. He finally spotted him near the mess hall, leaning against the bulkhead, his face tense but familiar. Seeing Rosco, Amadeus gave a weak smile, though the exhaustion behind it was palpable.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Amadeus greeted, his voice hoarse.

Rosco gave a tired nod, standing beside him. “Yeah… They woke us all up. Figured I’d find you.”

Amadeus exhaled, looking out through the corridor’s windows into the star-filled void. “So what the hell do you think is going on?” He asked, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and fear. “You think it’s aliens?”

Rosco crossed his arms, leaning against the cold metal of the ship. He considered the question for a long moment. “Maybe.” He replied slowly. “But It’s hard to say.”

Amadeus shot him a glance, his brow furrowed. “What do you mean? If it’s not aliens, what else could it be?”

Rosco shifted, his thoughts churning. “Well… there’s two possibilities that keep running through my mind. First, what if it’s humans? Maybe other humans left the solar system with more advanced technology than we had. Faster, better ships. And they arrived here before us.”

Amadeus stared at him, clearly surprised. “Other humans? How?”

Rosco nodded, his mind racing. “Think about it—what if after we left, humanity kept advancing? Maybe someone figured out a way to leap ahead of us, to colonize this part of the galaxy before we even got close. And now, for some reason, they don’t want us here.”

Amadeus thought for a moment, chewing on the idea. “I mean… yeah, that makes sense, but why would they shoot at us? We’re human too. It just doesn’t add up.”

Rosco sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know. But there’s another theory I can’t shake.”

Amadeus raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

Rosco hesitated before speaking, his voice quieter now. “Amino.”

Amadeus blinked, his face blank. “Amino? Wasn’t that the biocomputer from the war?”

Rosco nodded. “Yeah. Do you even remember much about it?”

Amadeus scratched his head, his expression thoughtful. “I mean… bits and pieces. It was some kind of super-intelligence, right? But I thought that thing was long gone—disappeared right after the whole Europa thing happened.”

Rosco sighed, looking down at the floor. “It was. Amino was developed in secret during the war, designed to help humanity win by any means necessary. It was the one responsible for the destruction of Europa… but strangely it also helped humanity develop the technology necessary for relativistic travel. After all that, it left. No one knew where it went. It just vanished. But if it’s still out there… if Amino’s been out here for 20,000 years, it could’ve built an empire by now.”

Amadeus' eyes widened at the thought. “You really think it’s possible? That we’ve stumbled into Amino’s territory?”

Rosco shrugged, his face darkening. “I don’t know. But it’s a possibility. It could be behind all of this.”

Amadeus rubbed his temples, overwhelmed by the possibilities. “Man, I don’t know… Whether it’s aliens, other humans, or Amino… whatever it is, it’s stronger than us. We need to make ourselves small. Focus on survival.”

Rosco let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging. “Yeah… I know. But if it’s humans—” He paused, his voice faltering. “If after 20,000 years, we’re still shooting at each other, still fighting over territory and power… I don’t know if I can handle that. It’s like everything we’ve been working toward, everything I believed in, means nothing. We still haven’t found a way to coexist. To live in peace.”

Amadeus looked at Rosco, seeing the sadness in his friend’s eyes. He put a hand on Rosco’s shoulder. “Look, man… even if this was done by humans, that doesn’t mean humanity’s all bad. We’re not black or white. You’ve got good people, bad people. And right now? We’ve got a lot of good people on this ship.” He gestured to the bustling corridors around them, where crewmembers were waking up, gathering in small groups, trying to understand what was happening. “We’ve got good people here, Rosco. That’s what matters.”

Rosco stared at him, the weight of Amadeus’ words slowly sinking in. “I know… I just—” He swallowed hard, his voice thick with emotion. “I guess I always believed that someday, humanity would come together. That we’d stop all the fighting and just… learn to live in harmony. I almost want to believe it was aliens or something else behind this because at least then I could hold on to that hope.”

Amadeus nodded, his voice softer now. “I get it. But we can’t lose ourselves in big ideas. Right now, we’ve got to focus on the positives in front of us.” He met Rosco’s eyes, a steady resolve behind them. “We can still make something great out here. We’ve got the chance to build something, even if it’s not for all of humanity—at least for the people here. We’ll get through this, together.”

Rosco felt the knot in his chest loosen slightly, the weight of the situation still there but less suffocating. Amadeus’ words were a lifeline, something to hold on to in the face of overwhelming uncertainty. He gave a small nod, appreciating the hope that his friend offered, even in the darkest of times.

“Yeah…” Rosco said quietly. “We will.”

The days then began to blur together as Invictus continued its slow, cautious journey toward the moon.

For more than a week, the crew held their collective breath, scanning the void for any sign of danger. Every ping, every piece of space dust picked up by the sensors was analyzed, processed, and cataloged, but nothing appeared. The vast, yellowish rock of the moon finally came into view on the ship’s horizon.

Rosco stood on the observation deck, staring out as the moon grew larger. It was an unwelcoming sight, barren and dry, its surface mottled with craters and ridges. Certainly not a place for life, but then again, survival wasn’t about comfort anymore.

“They’re saying it’ll take a week or two to build habitats down there.” Amadeus said, his voice quiet. He was leaning against the window beside Rosco, his face pale, eyes wide as he watched the moon drift closer. “How are we supposed to live on that thing?”

Rosco turned to him, forcing a reassuring smile. “We’ve got the materials, the fabrication machines…We’ll manage.”

Amadeus didn’t seem convinced. “Maybe…”

The ping came through then, interrupting their thoughts. A sharp, familiar tone echoed in their Links. Rosco blinked, accessing the transmission as the message from the bridge scrolled across his vision:

“Crew of Invictus: Due to the current threat and limited security aboard the vessel, it has been decided that Invictus will divide its crew between the ship and the moon. The Construction Division, along with volunteers from other departments, will begin to set up temporary habitats on the moon’s surface. This will reduce risk to the entire crew should the vessel be attacked. All crew members who wish to volunteer for surface duty, please notify the bridge within the hour. Departure in 8 hours.”

Amadeus was the first to react, the color draining from his face as the reality of the situation hit him. “Oh man…” He ran a hand through his hair, his movements frantic. “That’s me. Construction division—I've got to go down.”

He was panicking, Rosco could tell. Amadeus never did well with uncertainty, and the thought of going down to that lifeless rock had him spiraling.

“Hey.” Rosco said, putting a hand on Amadeus’ shoulder. “Breathe. I’ll go down with you.”

Amadeus looked at him, his eyes wide, searching for reassurance. “You’d really go down there? You’re not in construction—you could stay safe up here.”

Rosco nodded firmly. “Yeah, I’ll go. I’ve had enough of this ship anyways.”

Inez and Roland had been sitting nearby, quiet since the ping came through, each processing the message in their own way. Now, they looked up, waiting to see what the others would decide.

“So, what about you two?” Amadeus asked, glancing between them. “You coming down with us?”

Roland’s brow furrowed. He seemed agitated, pulling at his collar as if it had suddenly gotten too tight. “I… I don’t know. That moon doesn’t look any safer than staying up here. What if something’s down there? Something that’ll kill us? We don’t even know what’s out there!”

Inez sighed, her eyes fixed on the moon. “And we don’t know if we’re safe on board either, Roland. If the ship gets destroyed, no one survives. I’m going down. If something’s going to get us, I’d rather be on solid ground when it happens.”

She said it with a calm confidence that left no room for argument. With a subtle movement, Inez pinged her decision to the bridge, marking herself as a volunteer. Rosco followed her lead.

They both turned to Roland, who was now visibly sweating. His face was flushed, and his fingers fidgeted anxiously. “You’re both going down?” he asked, panic creeping into his voice.

“Yeah, we are.” Rosco said gently. “It’s your choice, Roland. You can stay up here if you want. But you should know…” He hesitated, searching for the right words. “I think you should come with us. We might be the closest thing you have to friends on this ship. Hell, maybe in the whole galaxy.”

Roland’s face crumpled, his internal struggle playing out in the twitch of his hands, the way he gnawed at his lip. “I—I don’t know if I can…” he stammered. “What if… what if something happens? What if I—?”

Inez cut in, her tone firm but not unkind. “It’s your call.”

Roland’s eyes darted from her to Rosco to Amadeus, then back to the observation window, where the barren moon loomed closer by the minute. He closed his eyes, inhaling shakily. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

“Fine…” he muttered. “I’ll go.”

Rosco and Amadeus exchanged a glance, then patted Roland on the back. “That’s the spirit,” Rosco said with a small smile. “You’re getting more adventurous, Roland.”

Roland grimaced but didn’t protest. After a moment, he sent his ping to the bridge, confirming his decision to join them.

A few minutes passed, and another transmission came through, this time giving the specifics.

“The surface team will depart in eight hours. Prepare for transit.”

“Well.” Amadeus sighed, leaning back against the window. “Looks like we’ve got some time to get ready.”

Rosco nodded, glancing out at the yellowish rock that would soon become their temporary home. Despite his efforts to stay calm, he found himself struggling. He didn’t know what awaited them on that moon, or if they’d even survive long enough to find out.

But Rosco had promised himself not to fall into inaction, and this seemed to be their best shot.

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